“Identification of Indigenous Community-Based OECMs in Eastern Seram and Southeast Maluku Regencies, Maluku Province”

The Ministry of Marine Affairs and Fisheries (KKP) continues to promote the expansion of conservation areas in Indonesia. One of its efforts includes exploring the potential of Other Effective Conservation Measures (OECMs) in WPPNRI 715, 717, and 718. This initiative is supported by grant funding from the Coastal Fisheries Initiative – Indonesia Child Project (CFI-ICP), GEF 6: “The Ecosystem Approach to Fisheries Management in Eastern Indonesia Fisheries Management Area 715, 717 & 718.”

CFI Indonesia has developed the concepts of Sasi Co-Management and Sasi Label as best practices. The Sasi Co-Management concept is rooted in the local wisdom of Sasi in Eastern Indonesia, a traditional ancestral system for managing natural resources that has been adapted to introduce the Ecosystem Approach to Fisheries Management (EAFM) for sustainable fisheries management.

The development of this concept involves several interventions, such as strengthening the capacity of Sasi managers, providing training in diving and mapping (GPS), recognizing Customary Law Communities (MHA), and proposing designated Sasi areas as conservation reserves through the OECM mechanism. These efforts aim to support the expansion of conservation areas in Indonesia.

Sasi Co-Management has been developed in several CFI Indonesia program sites within WPP 715, 717, and 718, including Eastern Seram and Southeast Maluku Regencies in Maluku Province.

OECMs are areas managed to achieve conservation objectives, such as protecting specific species or geographically defined areas, which are located outside formally designated conservation zones. These areas can be managed by indigenous communities or institutions without specific formal mandates for conservation area management, such as village governments—or even private companies—that may also contribute to OECM management.

BRIN Research Team Conducted Participatory Mapping to Define Sasi Area Boundaries

To support the Maluku Provincial Government in identifying OECM potentials based on the traditional Sasi system practiced by local communities, in April–May 2025, a research team from the Research Center for Conservation of Marine and Inland Water Resources, supported by the CFI Indonesia GEF 6 Program, conducted studies on Sasi implementation in several villages on Kei Besar Island: Ohoirenan, Ohoiwait, Ohoiwerka, and Ohoiwatuar. In addition to Sasi, Maluku communities possess other forms of local wisdom for protecting natural resources. For example, the customary land tenure systems in Gorom Island, Eastern Seram Regency, are used to safeguard various marine resources.

Southeast Maluku Regency

There are two types of Sasi practiced by the indigenous communities of Kei Besar: Sasi Kawasan (area-based Sasi) and Sasi Biota (species-based Sasi). Sasi Kawasan prohibits harvesting any marine life within a defined area, agreed upon through customary deliberation. Meanwhile, Sasi Biota is a prohibition on catching certain types of biota in certain areas. An example is the Sasi on sea cucumbers and lola imposed in Ohoiwerka, Ohoirenan, and Ohoiwait. In these areas, catching these two types of biota is prohibited, but catching other types is still allowed. Ohoiwatuar enforces Sasi Biota that prohibits the capture of tembang (Sardinella sp.) and palala (Rastrelliger brachysoma).

Each village has its own regulations on the Sasi Biota schedule. For example, Ohoirenan opens its lola snails harvest every four years, while Ohoiwerka opens its sea cucumber Sasi every five years. The process of opening Sasi considers several factors, such as the size of the biota. If the biota subject to Sasi has reached harvest size, then Sasi can be opened. In addition, the selling price is also a consideration. If the price of biota is low, even though the biota is harvestable, the Sasi will not be opened.

Sea cucumbers and lola snails were chosen due to their high level of exploitation. Sea cucumbers, in particular, are economically valuable, with prices ranging from IDR 300,000 to IDR 1,200,000 per kilogram on e-commerce platforms, depending on their varieties. They are commonly exported to China, Singapore, and South Korea.

Fish Larvae Sampling to Study Spawning and Nursery Habitats on Kei Besar Island Waters

Led by Dr. Lismining Pujiyani Astuti, the BRIN team mapped the extent of Sasi areas in Ohoirenan, Ohoiwait, and Ohoiwatuar. Delineation in Ohoiwerka was previously completed in 2024, facilitated by CFI Indonesia, identifying 54.5 ha of Sasi Kawasan and 158.84 ha of Sasi Biota. According to Ohoirenan elder, Frans Rahangmetan, Sasi boundaries usually follow customary territory limits rather than administrative village borders. Mapping starts at the coastline and follows the shallow reef line perpendicularly to the slope reef edge known locally as “blue water.” Results showed delineation of 152.03 ha of Sasi Kawasan in Ohoirenan, 31.4 ha in Ohoiwait, and 37.3 ha of Sasi Biota in Ohoiwatuar.

Thelenota ananas (pineapple sea cucumber), one of the cucumber species found at the study site.

The research team also identified sea cucumber species and assessed seagrass ecosystems, which serve as protected habitats. Sea cucumber researcher Andrias Samusamu identified 24 species, including Thelenota ananas, a commercially valuable one.

To assess Sasi’s conservation impact, the team studied seagrass ecosystem coverage and its role in spawning and nursery habitats through larval abundance surveys. Seven seagrass species were found: Thalassia hemprichii, Enhalus acoroides, Cymodocea sp., Halophila ovalis, Halodule uninervis, Syringodium isoetifolium, and Thalassodendron ciliatum. The most dominant was Cymodocea sp., with 42.76% coverage in Ohoiwatuar. Coverage in Ohoirenan and Ohoiwait was moderate, averaging 32.5%, while Ohoiwerka and Ohoiwatuar had very high coverage at 84.94% and 78.42%, respectively. These conditions provide ideal habitats for sea cucumbers, lola snails, and other marine species.

Eastern Seram Regency

BRIN's Research Center for Conservation of Marine and Inland Water Resources conducted observations in May 2025 and the results showed that indigenous communities in Gorom Island mostly apply customary boundaries in managing sea cucumber and lola snail resources. Generally, locals do not harvest these species freely. Their collection is restricted through customary agreements between villagers and traditional elders (Raja). Harvesting is only allowed when there are an urgent needs for funds for public purposes, such as mosque construction, road repairs, or village offices.

Sea cucumbers found in the Gorom Water study site, Eastern Seram Regency – Maluku.

According to Raja Malikudin Rumakway of Amarwatu Village, sea cucumber harvesting is mostly done by outside fishers, not locals. These outsiders must obtain permission from the village or traditional elders to fish within customary marine territories. These territories are defined as marine waters with boundaries between customary villages (not administrative boundaries), stretching from the coastline to the outermost slope reef (“blue water”).

Each Gorom village enforces its own regulations, but all have established boundaries and restrict the harvesting of sea cucumbers and lola snails. To enforce them, indigenous communities independently supervise the perpetrators of unauthorized fishing of water resources or illegal fishing by outside fishermen. Interviews with traditional figures from eight villages revealed a variety of sanctions for violations, such as carrying stones or sand from the sea to land for public works, cleaning public facilities, or paying fines.

Interview with the Raja of Ondor Village about Sasi Practices in His Village

In addition to customary territory management for the protection of sea cucumbers and lola snails, three villages on Gorom Island practice Sasi: Kataloka, Ondor, and Namalean. In Kataloka and Ondor, the community implements net Sasi for the capture of bluestripe herrings (Herklotsichthys quadrimaculatus). Raja Amiun Nursali Diun of Ondor explained that the purpose of net Sasi is to prevent fishing around the harbor area. Kataloka Village also enforces net Sasi around its harbor, prohibiting the use of nets to catch bluestripe herrings within a 50-meter radius. According to the Raja of Kataloka, the Sasi on bluestripe herrings stems from ancestral tradition, believed to "attract" the fish to the harbor area. As a result, the fish may not be caught except during traditional ceremonies. In this context, the harbor area is considered a pamali or forbidden zone for herring fishing.

In addition to Ondor and Kataloka, the indigenous community of Namalean applies rock Sasi by constructing stone gabion structures. This Sasi prohibits the collection of coral rocks—whether alive or dead—for use on land, including as house foundations. Most Gorom residents still use coral rocks for building foundations, which has led to coral mining. However, the people of Namalean have become aware that coral mining alters the coastal ecosystem in front of their village. Aware of these impacts, the community has practiced rock Sasi across generations.

This form of marine ecosystem management based on customary territories has shown positive results in protecting marine resources around Gorom Island. Observations of the coastal ecosystem indicated healthy marine conditions, as reflected in seagrass coverage that falls into the dense category. The average coverage across four observation sites is 58%: Rarat (60.45%), Namalean (66.64%), Kataloka (40.24%), and Amarwatu (64.61%). Coral reef cover around Gorom Island varies from poor to high. The healthiest reefs were observed in the waters of Amarwatu Village. Across all surveyed marine areas of Gorom Island, preliminary findings recorded seven species of seagrass and more than twelve economically valuable species of sea cucumber.

Documentation of Coral Reef Cover Survey Results in Gorom Island

Preliminary studies showed that the Sasi practices carried out by indigenous communities in both Kei and Gorom Islands significantly contribute to marine conservation efforts, particularly in protecting sea cucumbers, lola snails, fish, and seagrass ecosystems as their habitat. Through further analysis, these findings will support the development of an OECM identification document for Maluku Province. To strengthen the role of indigenous communities in advancing Sasi Co-Management in both islands, support from multiple stakeholders is essential. Such support will help ensure the sustainability of community-based management and its recognition as part of OECMs—one pof the ways is through the formal recognition of indigenous legal communities.